I've never read a graphic novel, but my college-age son just did a report on two of them -- Maus and Maus II by Art Spiegelman. He was very impressed and felt that by using this format the author was able to capture the horror and pain of the Holocaust.

Martin, thank you for the correction. Did you read Disgrace and if so, what did you think?

Sarah, I think the Maus books are pretty well known in the graphic novel world. I need to read two GN for work, and I guess between The Arrival and Maus, I'll be set--and actually looking forward to it.

bookmom, I read "Disgrace" some time ago and liked it so much I read it again. I do recall being riveted and shocked at the same time. I don't think we at RP have ever discussed this novel in depth. Subsequently, I've tried to read various Coetzee books, with high expectations, all of which have been dashed. Could not like any of his others.

I finished The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee - thoroughly enjoyable. This book came along at a good time. After a long stretch of fiction, I wanted to read something nonfiction, not too light and not too heavy.

Now I have Empire Falls by Richard Russo, which so many people here at RP have enjoyed. I like it very much, but I am being distracted by Joyce's Ulysses. I have always been a bit embarrassed that, not only have it not read it, I have not even held a copy in my hands. That is all changed now, and I am loving it although it is quite challenging. I have ordered an annotated copy from the library - is that cheating?

Had two different yet eerily similar authors recommended to me, so spent the weekend reading them-Deanna Raybourn and Charles Finch. Raybourn's series, (Silent in the Grave and Silent in the Sanctuary) set in 1880s London, is written around the newly widowed Lady Julia Grey, while Finch's series, set in 1860s London, has the widowed Lady Jane Grey as a second major character with the "hero" Charles Lenox.
They are both new series-Finch only has the one book A Beautiful Blue Death out, with another coming in August. The third in the Raybourn series is expected in 2009.
I enjoyed all three, although the Raybourn series does drift dangerously close (for me) to mystery-romance. However, I like the way she uses words, so will overlook the occasional canoodling!

Just finished "The Great Stink" by Clare Clark - recommended by Freda-- good read set in the sewers of underground Victorian London. Now on to "On Chesil Beach" by Ian McEwan. Were people really this uptight about sex in the early '60's? Hard to believe, but well told story all the same.

Bookmom -

I found Coetzee hard going - both The Life and Times of Michael K and Disgrace. But so many people have raved about the latter, I think I'll have to try it again.

I'm deep into Gone with the Windsors. It's a hoot. One of my favorite lines so far is where the diarist records that she attended a posh party where a coal porter was somehow invited and played the piano. She told him he was so good that he should play professionally.

I've been trudging through Cahill's "Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter." Somehow, it is not giving me as much pleasure as did his "Mysteries of the Middle Ages" which I read last week. I think the book on the ancient Greeks is a bit heavy-handed, even more so than Cahill's "The Gifts of the Jews." Need to find something a bit lighter.

Carolyn, that's too funny about the "coal porter." LOL.

I returned everything I had to the library, most unread. I had a couple of books that I really want to read at some point, but now is not the time.

I brought home The Ghost Belonged To Me by Richard Peck, a young adult novel that caught my eye, and Spook - Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach. Bit of a theme there, eh?

I also brought home Ulysses Annotated - can't wait to crack that open!

I found a new (to me) crime fiction author named Declan Hughes and read the first book in the series The Wrong Kind of Blood. P.I. Ed Loy has returned to Ireland after 20 years in L.A. to bury his mother and settle her affairs. When he tries to help out a couple of old friends things turn violent.

I'm now making my way through some Terry Pratchett books and enjoying them a lot. They seem to be exactly what I needed right now. I finished Equal Rites and have just started Guards! Guards!. I also have Mort on my TBR shelf. What Douglas Adams was to sci-fi, Pratchett seems to be to the fantasy genre.

As for Coetzee, I really enjoyed Disgrace but personally thought The Life & Times of Michael K was even better. I look forward to reading more of his work.

>What Douglas Adams was to sci-fi, Pratchett seems to be to the fantasy genre.

Well, maybe. I'd put Adams in the fantasy category, but I could see sci fi. What I love about both of them is their ability to write in their genres and at the same time right about us along the way. With a wink and a nod, of course. Glad you are enjoying Discworld!

I started Richard Ford's Lay of the Land. I've never read him before, reading it for a book group. He reminds me a bit like Russo: slow, interesting descriptions, definitely gives a sense of place. Just waiting for something to happen...

Finished up "On Chesil Beach" by Ian McEwan - wow. Could those characters do with some therapy. Anyway, quite enjoyed it - well written and described the English seaside very well, rain and all.

Now on to "The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World" by Eric Weiner. It's along the lines of Bill Bryson but not as funny. Still interesting though as we visit places like Qatar and Denmark.

It's a seven-day book so I better get crackin' on it.

My reading has been a wee bit slow these days as I shuttle kids between spring sports and get all tangled up (figuratively and literally) in my garden.

I did finish Mrs. Fytton's Country Life by Mavis Cheek. Has anyone heard of her before? This was my first book by her and while I liked the story, not quite sure I liked the ending. As a semi-country person, I think (hope) that when she poked fun at country dwellers, it was done with respect. I think I read the humor of her take on country life in England correctly. Anyway, it was a fun brain vacation.

I also read a mystery by Sweeden's Hakan Nesser. It is entitled The Return. It is fascinating to read mysteries by authors in other nations because the tone and the way the story progresses seem to vary so much. I felt decidedly stupid as I read this book because while the mystery was well done, I often didn't get the connections or was unable to follow the line of thought. It got me to thinking whether that was because of the translation or if it was me. It was probably me. But I shall try to continue to grow and learn.

Now, along with carolyn-ky, I am reading and thoroughly enjoying Gone with the Windors. I am curious about the truth behind this story. I feel the need to learn more of the history. The cover photo of Wallis Simpson is certainly most unflattering. I have to look for other pictures.

PAM

It's been several months since I read a book that really enthralled me, but I just did. It was The Name of the Wind by a new writer, Patrick Rothfuss. It is a fantasy, extremely well done. It is the first of a trilogy.

Rosefolly

Siobhan,

If you like The Ghost Belonged to Me, there are a couple more books with Blossom Culp as the main character. I enjoyed all three books.

I have the newest Maisie Dobbs sitting on my library TBR pile, along with several other books. Hopefully, this weekend I'll get all of them read. (hey, miracles do happen! lol)

I tried to read E.M. Forster's A Room With a View, but couldn't get into it. I think it's one that I need to be in the right mood to read, so took it back to the library and will try again another time.

Sarahcanary and Cindydavid,

About the SRA reading program. My niece (now 14) went through that program in grade school. She had started out being enthusiastic about reading until she got into the program. Because of the enforced reading and thequiz at the end, she decided she absolutely hated reading and refuses to read anything outside of school. I don't think I have a niece or nephew (on either side of the family) who actually does like to read. What a disappointment!

Paula - I just today took The Name of the Wind out of the library. It sounds like I'm in for a good read. :)

Rouan - How sad about your niece. The SRA had the opposite effect on me ... or maybe I was already in love with books and reading. One of my nieces, who is now in her 40s, loves to read and often calls me for recommendations.

I also got a book from the library called Wild Life by Molly Gloss. Has anyone read it? It sounds rather intriguing. I notice there's a blurb on the back by Karen Joy Fowler who wrote ... wait for it ... Sarah Canary, so it must be good, yes? There are also blurbs by Jean Auel (Clan of the Cave Bear) and Carolyn See. Hmmm. I'll let you know what I think.

Rouan, A Room with a View was on Masterpiece Theater Sunday night. I quite enjoyed the show. We visited Italy last year, and the scenery was a plus.

I just got a notice from the library that the new Maisie Dobbs is waiting for me to pick it up. I finished Laura Childs' new tea shop mystery last night, and it left a lot to be desired. It has a lot of tea lore but not much mystery. It also used the dreaded "Here! Here!" instead of hear. Oh, dere, dere.

I read the first Maisie Dobbs and it didn't engage me. I found the style lacking something -- a certain brusque quality, perhaps? I'm having trouble pinning down the problem. The books are very popular, so I'm willing to suspend judgment and try a second one to see if I like it better. Some books (and series) take warming up to.

Sarah Canary, I do hope you enjoy The Name of the Wind as much as I did.

Rosefolly

After Disgrace, I was eager to try out another Coetzee book but with Martin and Wn2's reviews, I think I'll wait. Rosfolly, my mother really enjoys Maisie Dobbs (known as plain Maisie between us)and I tried one of her books at the beach, but same as you, I didn't care for the style which seemed stiff.

In one afternoon and evening, I sped right through local author Laura Lippman's What the Dead Know. It is always fun to find references to good ole Bawlmer and her stories aren't bad, either. Now I'm slowly reading Alice Munro's Lives of Girls and Women, a coming of age story about a girl growing up in a small community in Ontario. Apparently some folks call this a collection of short stories, all written from the girl Dell's view, and others call it a novel. Slow-going in parts, but still good.

My nightstand book is A Romanov Fantasy by Frances Welch, who writes about Anna Anderson, probably the most well-known Anastasia Romanov claimant. DNA testing done after Anna's death supposedly proved her to be a Polish commoner who lived in Germany, but conspiracists argue the DNA testing is suspect and that those standing to benefit from Anna not getting her hands on the vast Romanov fortune, said to be squirreled away at a bank in England, monkeyed with the samples and/or results. Said fortune has never been uncovered... I have to admit, about twenty years ago, I read everything I could find about Anna Anderson in particular and Nicholas II's family in general and was quite disappointed when DNA testing indicated Anna was not a Romanov, even though her claim appeared to be rather shaky at best. Science trumps romance, I suppose.

I hate it that science trumps romance. I want Wonderful Things to be true. I respect science, mind you, and the triumph of truth. I don't want to be duped. It's just that I badly wanted the world to be a more mysterious and romantic place than it has turned out to be.

Rosefolly

bookmom, thanks for mentioning the Welch book. I, too, years ago, read everything I could get my hands on re the last Tsar and Anna Anderson. And I, too, was so disappointed when the DNA was checked and she was found to be merely an ordinary Polish "commoner." Why has the Romanov fortune never been uncovered, by the way? I wanted so badly for at least one of those innocent children to have survived the massacre....

Finished "The Geography of Bliss" which was interesting in a sort of Bill Bryson way, but not as well done. Still, it was an interesting read as it took us to a variety of different countries (such as Iceland, Moldavia, India and Great Britain) and looked at how happy people were in each country using both scientific research and just asking everyday people. I enjoyed it but it didn't blow me away.

Now I am on to "The Nightwatch" by Sarah Waters. Heard a lot about her from RP so looking forward to this. Plus it's set during one of my favorite periods of history - England in WWII. Cool.

Just listened to an interesting BBC radio chat programme, first interviewing Bill Bryson who has become the champion of litter/trash removal throughout the British countryside, and then with American writer Leslie Gains.
She is the granddaughter of Howard Gains who ghost wrote for the Stratemayer Syndicate, publishers of many US children's favourites 'Tom Swift' the 'Hardy Boys', 'Nancy Drew' and HG's speciality 'The Bobbsey Twins' (under the name of Laura Lee Hope).
Did you know all these books were written to a strict formula by a handful of writers, who received NO royalties and has to sign a confidentiality agreement?
HG wrote under his own name the 'Uncle Wiggily Rabbit' series.
Granddaughter Leslie Garis' book is called House of Happy Endings and describes her strange upbringing and terrible grandmother in Amherst.
I wonder if any of you have read it?

Just finished The Ghost Belonged To Me, which I thought was terrific. Great story, vivid characters, a little suspense and a lot of humor! Now I'm enjoying Spook. I will get the other Peck books next time go to the library.

Now back to studying -

siobhan - I think I read Spook several years ago. I found it intriguing, and somewhat amusing ... but I don't recall actually finishing it. Hmmm. I'm not sure why that is. Let us know what you think.

Been thinking about "The Nightwatch" which is a novel set in WWII, I believe. I also have a non-fiction history book about WWII in London. Which do you think I should read first?

The novel about London in WWII or the non-fiction about London in WWII?

I am in a pickle as I can't decide.

I finished The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison. An excellent YA fantasy about a prince who has "the animal magic," which has been turned into a crime, executable by death. He becomes betrothed to the Princess from the next kingdom over. The story follows their developing relationship, as well as how the prince must come to terms with his animal magic and the views of his people.

Liz, why don't you read the two WWII books 'side-by-side'?
If the non-fiction book is by a reputable writer you may find it a useful guide to Sarah Water's story.
What it might not tell you is that gay/lesbian relationships (which always play a part in SW's books) were never talked about openly in those days and were a serious offence in the Armed Services.
In 'civvi street' while homosexuals could be imprisoned (think Oscar Wilde) lesbians were not convicted . . . it goes back to the days when these Acts of Parliament were passed. Queen Victoria had never heard of such behaviour among women and therefore refused to sign that part of the Bill, so it never became law. ;-)

Oscar Wilde died from his prison internment. Sad sad loss for the literary world.

I just finished the new short story collection by Jhumpa Lauri. They were ok, but nowhere near as powerful as her first, Interpreter of Maladies. Hope she has another novel coming up, I did love Namesake.

>I've finished all Elin Hilderbrand's books-easy enjoyable "summer" type books and am happily reading Laurie Colwin now. I think both authors were recommended here. I also finished Reeve Lindbergh's latest memoir.
>I have loved Harlan Coben's books and his latest is good but not up to the usual. I feel it was a bit preachy and he's getting a little lazy.
>As you can tell, I'm definitely not into anything "heavy". I can't stop reading but there's outside stuff to do plus the ever present spring "cleaning"-ugh- and as always knitting

I am, finally, reading Edward Chupack's Silver--My Own Tale As Told By Me With A Goodly Amount Of Murder--halfway done. I picked it up because of the New York Times review on March 16th which described it as "glitteringly original". That is an understaement. I have never read a book like this, meaning that it crosses several genre lines: mystery, adventure and history. Yet it is an old-time read--a page turner. This is quite a departure from the last book I read, the (famous) Adventure of Augie March. I didn't get it: no plot and I kept getting lost. Anyway, I am loving my new book.

After having the wonderful experience of hearing Anne Fadiman give a reading at our local library, I re-read Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader. I've read it three times now and each time I find something new. She's just fabulous.

I finished two books by C S Harris, What Angels Fear and When Gods Die. These are mysteries set in the Regency period in England, with a very likeable hero. I'm not sure how much of the science/medicine is true to period, but these books are very entertaining.

I'm now reading (at last!), The Book Thief. I will report in the book review thread when finished.

I had a busy reading weekend since we had a day (Sunday) full of heavy rain.

Finished Gone with the Windsors. It was hilarious. And a friend got a book by the same title, about the same subject (Edward and Mrs. Simpson) but hers was non-fiction. SHE had lots of pictures, but MINE was much more fun to read. Loved it, laughed out loud many many times. Will definitely share this one with friends.

Also finished Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Not the best choice to read after Gone with the Windsors. One moment, I was reading fun and light and laughing. The next moment, I am in a world with no color and feeling chills and fear on every page. The Road was thought-provoking and terrifying.

Next up - either Cahill's Middle Ages or Lady's Maid (re-read) by Margaret Forster.

PAM

I have started (but am having trouble getting into) "The Night Watch" by Sarah Waters. I think it wasn't helped by me keeping falling asleep last night as I tried to read it. I will give it another go tonight.

I also tried to read "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto" by Michael Pollan, but it was pretty repetitive and got boring so I put it down for another time.

I hope "The Night Watch" picks up. I have heard such good things about it that I don't want to be disappointed.

lemonhead, I was so blown away by her Fingersmith that I came to NightWatch with great expectations. I just could not get into the book. I'll probably try it again once Fngersmith is not such a strong memory.

FInished Ellen Gilchrist - pretty easy read, but because of how the short stories were written to be self contained, it was weird to have them put together as if they were a novel. I thought the plot pretty preditable, but it was a nice light read which I needed.

I'm reading Willa Cather's "One of Our Own." Cather won a Pulitzer Prize for this novel about a young man from Nebraska at the turn of the last century, trapped in an unhappy marriage, who ends up overseas in WW I. It's also a portrait of German-American settlers, who were caught in the anti German feelings of that time. Cather's vivid descriptions of the MidWest are brilliant, IMHO -- surely one of our greatest American writers.....

Put "The Night Watch" away for a while as I just couldn't get into it and picked up the second book in the Stan Barstow trilogy, "The Watchers on the Shore". Loving it and can't wait to read some more tonight. I am just really caught up in the protagonist's story.

Thanks to Martin's Stan Barstow site for helping me to get the titles in the right order and thanks to the library for ILL.

A year or so ago I read a book called World to Come by Dara Horn, and was looking forward to a new one. Well, this one isn't new, its actually her first one, but its been released: In The Image. Both center around characters trying to find their way from their grandparents traditions to assimilation and still remaining a part of those traditions. Im just about finished with In the Image and think its actually better than the earlier one I read.

Also reading Hakawati, a recent release that is sort of a 1001 Nights type book - many characters, many stories and sometimes it all gets a bit confusing. But the writing is the type that keeps you reading and the stories make it make sense.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dara Horn

siobhan - I read The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop, and enjoyed it. I don't know if it would have stood up had it been longer...but you are right about it bringing up memories...and chuckles with some of his descriptions of book lust. I was annoyed that he always uses the pronoun "she", which kind of defeats the purpose! The history of the publication and dispersion of Ulysses was fascinating. I sent it on to my mother who once worked as the bookkeeper in small independent - and some of the descriptions were very familiar.

I am now reading When Christ and His Saints Slept.

Just finished a mystery by a fairly new author: Cornelia Read's "Crazy School." It went very fast and I want to look for her first novel. This one was reminiscent, in its setting, both of "Rule of Four" and Tartt's "Secret History", but less pompous in style than the Tartt work.

Currently reading Daughters of the North by Sarah Hall (has a different title in the UK). It's feminist dystopia, and is an Arthur C. Clarke award nominee as well as recent winner of the Tiptree award. So far, it's just okay and I find her flashback sequences a bit too disorganized. It's fairly typical, therefore predictable, feminist dystopia, IMO. Perhaps I've read too many of these?

I am reading Eat, Pray, Love for my book club this Tuesday. Somehow I expected not to like it, but to my unexpected pleasure I am finding it quite enjoyable so far. Perhaps it is because it invokes memories of a trip to Italy filled with wonderful food.

On a travel forum I frequent, someone asked about people's all-time favorite books. More than one person replied Eat, Pray, Love. From comments I've read on here, I haven't read it and was surprised to see it in a favorites list.

When I found out that Barbara Wood wrote three books as Kathryn Harvey, I tried to get them from the library, which only had one. Not to be thwarted, I ordered the other two through abe.com. I've now read the one from the library and am about halfway through one I ordered. This one is Butterfly, which precedes the one I read first, Stars, and both are flat out romances of the kind I very seldom read. She tells a good story but a little of the rags to riches, power mad, beautiful beyond belief stuff goes a long way with me.

Well, I was looking for something to read the other day and, while digging through a dusty pile of books in the living room, I found a book I picked up years ago but never got around to reading. I settled in for a comfy and relaxing read. I didn't get it. What I DID get was quite a fascinating read as two of my favorite fictional worlds collided : H.P. Lovecraft's weird, eerie, creepy and just plain unsettling world of the Cthulhu mythos and Doyle's prim, proper, and ultimately logical and rational world of Sherlock Holmes.

The book's entitled Shadows Over Baker Street and is a collection of short stories by well-known sci-fi writers. All the stories involve both Holmes (or his world) and Lovecraft's world. All in all, it was a cracking good read -- Neil Gaiman's story (the first one in the collection) was possibly the best and, to me, quite startling. The others in the collection are, if not equally good, at least worth a read.

So, if you're either a Holmes fan (maybe a "Baker Street Irregular"?) or a Lovecraft minion (would that be a sub-demon?) then I'd recommend this book.

I am most of the way through Alison Weir's Innocent Traitor which I am reading for my bookclub. Like many folks, I went through a "kings and queens of England" phase years ago, devouring historical fiction and non-fiction with an emphasis on the fascinating Tudors and a few other characters like Maud and Stephen and the usual stand-outs. In short, I was not looking forward to Innocent Traitor, thinking been there, done that. Instead, I am enthralled and spent (wasted?) much of the afternoon googling Lady Jane Grey and Edward VI and ending with Mary, Queen of Scots and Bothwell. And now, I put her second novel on hold at the library and will revisit Elizabeth I.

>When Christ and His Saints Slept.
One of my favorite images from a book is an escape by a character through a snowstorm. You'll know it when you see it :)

Wow, Eat, Love, and Pray was so not a travel book for me. There was very little travel, and much about food, love affairs, and her own self centered world. I'd be very curious how your group felt about it, rose.

>spent (wasted?) much of the afternoon googling Lady Jane Grey and Edward VI and ending with Mary, Queen of Scots and Bothwell

I often do the same thing after reading a wonderful historic fiction. I haven't read her fiction, but given how readable her non fiction is, I can well imagine its excellent. Certainly better than Gregory

Finished up "The Right True End" by Stan Barstow, the final book in the Vic trilogy. Great stuff and I am sorry to see it end. Martin or anyone - are his other books as good?

Now on "The Best American NonRequired Reading" ed by Dave Eggers. Flipped through it at the library and looked interesting so we'll see.

Just got back from a poetry reading - it was really well done and there were some intelligent questions from the crowd. A nice way to spend the evening.

Cindy, SK Penmnan was one of my favorite historical fiction authors and yes, I know the scene. The problem with historical fiction is the obsessive fact-checking it engenders. My husband actually came home from work yesterday and, after looking around, asked me curiously what I had done that day.. I had to 'fess up. Good think I work today; I don't think I would be good at a "work from home" job as too many distractions loom.